No doubt one of the top 10 quintessential thrillers of the 1980’s and 1990’s, released in 1992, standing alongside classics of similar style like “Fatal Attraction,” “Single White Female,” and “Basic Instinct” the original “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” released in ‘92, starred the devilish Rebecca De Mornay (“Risky Business”) and the lovely Annabelle Sciorra (“Jungle Fever”).
Now sporting a new remake for the new era, starring Maika Monroe (“It Follows,” “Longlegs”) as the infamous nanny hired by a wealthy family to move in and care for their two young children. What on earth could go wrong?
I was a huge fan of the original title, which held the number one spot at the box office for four weeks straight. This white-washed, direct-to-Hulu production is a far cry from the original glory of the now-classic title.
This new version was too sanitized and lacked the shocking grit and trashy thrill of the earlier family drama, also starring Matt McCoy (“Seinfeld”). It was vastly unoriginal, bringing nothing exciting to the table. This “Cradle” is far from rocking, in fact. You’re better off playing an instrumental lullaby for 90 minutes on your Alexa speaker and catching up on a comfy, cozy mid-afternoon Zen nap instead.
“The Hand That Rocks The Cradle”
Starring: Maika Monroe
Christopher’s “Meow” Score: “4” paws out of 10.
Christopher Vernon is a proud NEPA resident and award-winning writer and author. He began writing film reviews on his page ‘The Movie Meow’ in 2018. His favorite two films of all time are ‘Thelma & Louise’ and ‘Million Dollar Baby.’ And of course, you guessed it, Chris adores cats.
